The feeling at their home stadium was decidedly gloomy this past Saturday. The Biancocelesti found themselves behind against Torino, a side that had allowed ten goals while netting just two in their previous five league matches. Supporters from the Curva Nord were finishing their latest protest in a long-running conflict with president Claudio Lotito.
A Season Falling Apart?
Was the team's progress coming unstitched, or had there never been a thread holding it together in the first place? The club brought back Maurizio Sarri as manager during the off-season, but then he to later acknowledge that the board had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for accounting issues. Rumours that he might quit were without basis, but he did say that Lotito had "misled" him.
The Biancocelesti were just as chaotic during matches as they were off it, beating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the rest of their first five games, which included the capital clash. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if progress is being made or collapsing.
Matteo's Unforeseen Comeback
A single player remained positive through it. Matteo Cancellieri wasn't originally meant to be at Lazio this season. He was on the last one with Parma on loan and, during the summer break, his owning club were pushing for him to extend his stay temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. They were unable to thin their squad without replacements.
He signed in the first place when Sarri was last in charge, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 matches in the league with the club in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. The club's longtime sporting director, Igli Tare, who left after that campaign, would later accuse Sarri of "informing all Cancellieri was destined for stardom but then not selecting him."
Uncovering His Natural Fit
Perhaps the manager was continuing to attempt to identify the exact type of the player's talent. Labeled as an attacking winger upon signing, Cancellieri nevertheless spent the majority of that term as an unconvincing alternative to Ciro Immobile as center forward. Across 63 games while playing for Empoli and Parma in the past two years, he netted seven goals. Shoehorn
